Semolina Bread Recipe

Semolina bread is made with semolina flour added to all-purpose flour. Semolina is a flour made from a very hard wheat grain called durum. The flour is traditionally used in Italy to make pasta, but it was in Sardinia that semolina bread emerged. You might have a little trouble finding Semolina flour in the traditional baking section of your local grocery store, but many stores have specialty sections where you can often find more diverse and obscure flours. Don’t buy the big bag for this recipe because it only calls for one cup. The good news is that it’s an easy bread to make from start to finish in your bread machine.

The recipe for this bread calls for one cup of semolina flour to 3 cups of all-purpose flour. However, you can increase the proportion to 2 cups of semolina added to 2 cups of all-purpose flour if you want a bread with a more golden color and firmer texture.

Semolina bread is a great sandwich bread and is also good when dipped into olive oil or any sauces that typically accompany an Italian dish. A favorite Sardinian combination is a spread of soft cheese and olives, or the classic Sardinian accompaniment -sardines. The bread will keep for days if wrapped and longer if refrigerated or frozen. This recipe makes a 2-pound loaf. If you want a 1-pound loaf just divide the proportions of the ingredients in half.

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 cups of water at 110 degrees Fahrenheit or 43 degrees Celsius

2 teaspoons of sugar

1 teaspoon of salt

1 ½ tablespoons of Olive Oil

1 cup of Semolina flour

3 cups of all-purpose flour

2 ¼ teaspoons of bread machine yeast or active dry yeast

DIRECTIONS:

1

Add all of the ingredients to the bread pan of the bread machine in the order indicated in the ingredients section and select the basic white bread setting for a 2-pound loaf and medium crust.

2

Press start and as usual, open the lid during the kneading process to double-check your dough consistency. If it appears to dry after 5-minutes of kneading, try scraping down any flour from the side of the bread pan with a plastic spatula to incorporate the flour better. If it’s still too dry, add a tablespoon of water at a time until you see the right consistency. If the dough appears to wet or loose, add a tablespoon of flour at a time until you get the desired result. You want a whole, cohesive dough ball with no flour clinging to the sides of the pan.

3

When the bread is done remove the loaf from the pan and let rest on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Slice and serve or wrap and store.

Ingredients

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 cups of water at 110 degrees Fahrenheit or 43 degrees Celsius

2 teaspoons of sugar

1 teaspoon of salt

1 ½ tablespoons of Olive Oil

1 cup of Semolina flour

3 cups of all-purpose flour

2 ¼ teaspoons of bread machine yeast or active dry yeast

Directions

DIRECTIONS:

1

Add all of the ingredients to the bread pan of the bread machine in the order indicated in the ingredients section and select the basic white bread setting for a 2-pound loaf and medium crust.

2

Press start and as usual, open the lid during the kneading process to double-check your dough consistency. If it appears to dry after 5-minutes of kneading, try scraping down any flour from the side of the bread pan with a plastic spatula to incorporate the flour better. If it’s still too dry, add a tablespoon of water at a time until you see the right consistency. If the dough appears to wet or loose, add a tablespoon of flour at a time until you get the desired result. You want a whole, cohesive dough ball with no flour clinging to the sides of the pan.

3

When the bread is done remove the loaf from the pan and let rest on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Slice and serve or wrap and store.

Steve Nubie has been writing professionally for 38 years. He is a Chef and has traveled across Asia and Europe studying language, culture and cuisine. He instructs culinary classes in the Culinary School at the College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn, Illinois and has written extensively on cuisine, cooking, diet and nutrition. He is a published author of 10 books including a cookbook and continues to write on subjects related to culinary trends.